Pencil



(No Model.)

H. H. SEAMAN.

PENCIL.

No. 555,341. Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES.:

By his torney #MM UNTTnn STATES PATnNT Orman.

HERBERT II. SEAMAN, OF BROOKLYN, NEY YORK.

PENCIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,341, dated February25, 1896.

Application filed November 2l, 1895. Serial No. 569,648. (No model.) v

To all wiz/m, may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT H. SEAMAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencils, the.of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for one object to provide an improved construction ofself-sharpening pencils-that is to say, pencils in which successiveportions of the lead may be exposed for use by removing from time totime, as required, the separable portions comprising the sheath orholder which contains and supports the lead, crayon, or other analogousdevice; and my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of devices, all as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ a series of hollow conical deviceswhich nest together or intermatch and surround or incase a preferablycontinuous or unbroken stick of lead, crayon, or other marking device.Around the series of conical devices is wrapped a piece or sheet ofpaper or other suitable material to bind the said series ot' conicaldevices together. Between successive conical devices is formed acircular indentation or groove to facilitate the cutting or breakage ofthe outside sheath or wrapper and the removal of the conical sections.In order to aid or guide the user in the removal of the conicalsections, the outside wrapper or sheath is slotted or perforated in sucha manner that the said circumferential notches or grooves may be readilyobserved from the outside of the pencil. One end of the lead or crayonis cemented or otherwise secured to a conical base-piece and at theother end y the pencil is preferably provided with a conical cap.Between these two devices the removable conical sections are strung uponthe lead and nested together, and over or around the whole is securedthe retaining-wrapper.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of alead-pencil embodying myimproveinents. Fig. 2 is an enlarged centralvertical section thereof, broken away at its middle to condense the viewand to afford a better illustration of the construction. Fig. 3

is an enlarged side elevation with a large portion of the wrapperremoved to show several of the conical members in side elevation and toshow also the inode of forming the pencil, the lead being broken awaybetween its ends to condense the view. Fig. 4 is a plan of the wrapperdetached. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of one of the conicalmembers; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are similar views of slightlymodied formsthereof.

In the various views the same part will be designated by the samenumeral of reference.

l designates a continuous stick of lead, crayon, or the like, which ispreferably cemented at one end in a cylindrical aperture 2, formed in abase-piece 3, which at its forward or inner end is made conical ortapering, as at i, and which at its opposite outer end is madecylindrical, as at 5.

G G designate a series of conical devices, sections, or members, all ofthe same size, shape, and construction and arranged to surround andsupport the lead and nest together. These conical sections G may be madeof any suitable'inaterial-as paper, compressed paper pulp, compressedwood pulp, papiermache, card or paste board, wood or metal, or any othersuitable substance or material. Each individual section or member 6 maybe made of any desired or suitable thickness of stock--for example,one-sixteenth of an inch. Each is made hollow to encompass the lead andto receive its adjacent section. At the base of each conical section isformed or provided a circumferential notch or indentation 7.

At the forward or lower end of the lead is preferably provided acap-piece S, having a cylindrical aperture 9 to receive the end of thelead, and having also a conical seat 10 to receive the foremost conicalsection G, and the said cap-piece is formed cylindrical exteriorly, asat ll.

Surrounding the base-piece, cap-piece, and the series of individualnested lead-supporting conical sections or members is a wrapper or coverl2, which is preferably of paper and which is glued or otherwise securedtothe said several devices, and by which, more especially, the pluralityof conical sections 6 are maintained firmly in their nested conditionupon the centrally-disposed lead. The

said Wrapper or cover is preferably provided for substantially its Wholelength with a series of slots or openings 13, Which may be obliquelyarranged, as shown at Figs. l and 3, so that one slot or openingoverlaps the next adjacent slot or opening, considered circumferentiallyofthe pencil. By this construction and arrangement of slots or openingsin the Wrapper it is insured that all of the circumferential notches orindentations 7 are exposed to View, and hence little or no care need betaken in the application of the Wrapper. If the slots or openings 13extended circumferentially of the Wrapper or at right angles to its axisor length, it might be difficult to so apply the Wrapper as that suchslots or openings would register exactly with the notches orindentations formed by the over- -lapping series of conical sections.lVhile this difliculty would vbe presented With 'the slots formed aslast described, it would not be impossible to employ7 suchcircumferential slots in the 'wrapper in place of the parallel obliqueoverlapping slots preferred, and for this reason I do not Wish to belimited, so far as this feature of my invention is concerned, unlessspecically recited in the claims, to any particular form or arrangementof slots or openings in the Wrapper.

From the foregoing and from'the'draivings it will be plain that thepencil as a Whole is formed or constructed by irst inserting the upperor rear end of the lead into the opening in the base-piece, and by thenslipping the conical sections G, one after Vthe other, or in the series,down upon the lead and causing them to seat one upon the other or nesttogether, as shown, until the required number of conical sections havebeen so applied. After this operation, if the cap-piece is to beemployed, it is slipped upon the lower or foremost end of the lead anduponthe outermost conical member. After this step the sheath or strip ofpaper or other material constituting the Wrapper of a length equal tothat of the pencil to be formed, and of a Width sufcient 'to surroundthe sectional devices and to slightly overlap 'at its edges, is thenapplied and secured to the several dev ices,'pre'f erably by means ofglue or some otheradhesive substance. This completes the making of 'thepencil, and when finished it Will present the appearance shown at Fig. 1of the drawings.

Thile I prefer to make pencils of this appearance and supply them inthis manner to,

consumers, it Will be understood, of course, that so far as some of thefeatures of myimprovements are concerned the cap-piece S and theWrapping portion thereof may be omitted, and the pencil supplied Withthe front end of the lead exposed for immediate use.

Pencils having the cap-piece S require, of course, the removal of thesame before the pencil can be used, but this may be readily accomplishedby cutting or otherwise breaking the Wrapper at the circumferentialnotch 1l, whereupon the said cap-piece maybe readily slipped off ordetached. As the projecting end of the lead Wears away and it becomesnecessary to expose more lead for use, the first or foremost conicalsection 6 is then removed by running a knife or the iinger-nail or anysharp instrument around the Wrapper at the first notch 7, thus rupturingthe paper and freeing said conical section from the main body of thepencil, and enabling its ready removal by a mere endwise slidingmovement in the direction of the point of the pencil. In this manner theremaining coni cal sections are successively removed as required, suchremoval being greatly facilitated by reason of the circumferentialnotches or grooves and the slotted or perforated Wrapper, theperforations in the Wrapper enabling the user to locate hecircumferential notch at a glance, and the notch itself permitting theWrapper to be readily cut or broken, the presence of the notch leavingthe paper unsupported at this locality, and hence easily severed ordisjoined.

Referring nour more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, it will beobserved that each coni cal section or member is peculiarly madethat isto say, it is formed or provided at its apex or pointed end With acylindrical or parallel-sided bore 15 for about one-.third of itslength, and that the remainder of the interior of the section istapering or frusto-conical, as shown at 1G. The cylindrical portion 15is provided more especially to afford to the member a comparatively-longbearing upon or about the lead, While the ared or tapering portion 16 isprovided to permit the insertion of an adjacent section, which likewiseaffords an extended bearing for the preceding section. It will beobserved that the cylindrical portions 15 form a practically continuousor uninterrupted bea-ring for the whole length of the pencil, and hencethat the lead is sup ported for substantially its Whole length, wherebya structure of great strength is consequently produced. In these viewsit will also be observed that the outside of the conical section tapersdown to substantially a knife or thin edge, as at 17, While the base orrear end of the conical section is formed or provided with a cylindricalportion 1S; or, in other Words, this end of the conical device Yfor anappreciable distance is cut away parallel with its axis to produce acylindrical or parallel-sided portion 1S, and by reason of which thediameter of the 'pencil as a Whole may be reduced; but a still moreimportant function is Yperformed by this portion 1S, to Wit: it servesto afford a Wide or extended surface for the support of the Wrapper andfor its firm adhesion to the conical sections as a Whole, so that thereis no liability Whatsoever of any of the members of the series becomingloose or of 'rotating or moving longitudinally during use of the pencil.The large pasting-surfaces afforded bythe series of cy- IOO IIO

lindrical portions 18 are therefore useful not only to reduce thediameter of the pencil and enable the formation of pencils ofpracticallycontinuous cylindrical form, but to also enable the wrapperto be firmly pasted to the conical sections for practically its wholelength, and in consequence keep the series of nested conical sectionsfirmly down one upon the other, so that there will be no break in thecontinuity of the structure, and so that it will be rendered as rigidand as solid practicallyv as the ordinary wood-incased lead-pencil ofcommerce. It will also be observed in these views that the base or rearend of each cylindrical portion 1S is beveled or chamfered inwardly, asat 19, and that this portion assists in the formation of the circularnotch or indentation 7, the remaining` portion of the notch orindentation being formed by the beveled or tapering exterior of theadjacent conical member.

IVhile I prefer to make the conical sections or members in the specificmanner shown at Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, I do not, however, wish to belimited altogether to this particular construction or formation,inasmuch as the main features of my improvements may be employed withconical sections differing some in details of construction, as shown,for example, in the remaining figures of the drawings.

Referring now to Fig. G, the conical section there shown issubstantially the same as that exhibited in the previous views, the onlydifference being that the smaller end of the section does not taper to aknife or sharp edge, but to a thicker or duller edge, and in consequencethereof the circular shoulder 2O is provided at the junction of thecylindrical portion l5 and tapering portion 16 for the abutmentthereagainst of the thickened end of the corresponding conical member tobe associated therewith.

Referring now to Fig. 7, it will be seen that the conical section isprovided with the cylindrical portion tapering to a knife edge, but thatthe base or wider end of the structure is unprovided with a cylindricalportion corresponding to 18 in the previous views and likewise lacks thebeveled or chamfered end 1U.

Referring now to Fig. 8, the device there exhibited will be found toconsist of a frustoconical section purely and of uniform thickness ofstock.

The wrapper or envelope may be made of paper, vellum, cloth, or anyother pliable and frangible substance which is thin and strong, and itmay be polished, glazed, varnished or painted either before or after itsapplication to the conical sections. rl`he lead or marking-crayon may besuch as is commonlyT used in pencils of commerce, or the markingsubstance maybe of slate or soapstone or any material used byarchitects, artists, draftsmen, painters or artisans. The inclosedsubstance may also be a caustic, drug, or chemical for use byphysicians, surgeons, dro., and in the subjoined claims I desire to beunderstood as covering the use of any marking material or substance usedfor purposes other than marking, so long as the same is'contained in astructure embodying my improvements.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that various changes may be madein the details of construction of the conical sections or members and inthe wrappers or envelopes without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pencil or the like consisting of a continuous lead, dac., a blockor base-piece to which the lead or the like is secured, a series ofindividual, nested conical members, and an outside wrapper or covering;substantially as set forth. y

2. A pencil or the like consisting of a marking or other substance, ablock or base-piece to which the lead or the like is attached, a seriesof individual, nested conical members, a cylindrical cap-piece having atapering interior and a cylindrical bore, and an outside wrapper orcovering; substantially as set forth.

3. In a pencil or the like, the combination with the lead, dsc., of abase-piece to which one end of the lead is secured, a series of conicalmembers surrounding and supporting the lead longitudinally and enteringone another, and a longitudinal wrapping-strip pasted or gummed to saidbase-piece and tosaid series of conical members substantially as setforth.

l. In a pencil or the like, the combination with the lead, &c., of abase-piece to which one end of the lead is secured, a cap fitted overthe other end thereof, an intermediate series of individual, conicalmembers, and a longitudinal wrapping strip pasted or gummed around thebase-piece, cap-piece, and the se- IOO IIO

ries of conical members; substantially as set forth.

5. A pencil or the like comprising a continuous central marking or otherdevice, a series of individual, nested conical members, a series ofcircumferential grooves or indentations, and a longitudinalwrapping-strip secured to said members and bridging over the said seriesof circumferential grooves or indentations, whereby the wrapping-stripis left unsupported at these localities and hence may be easily severed;substantially as set forth.

i5. A pencil or the like consisting of a central marking or otherdevice, a series of individual, nested conical members, a series ofcircumferential grooves or indentations, and a perforated wrapper orcovering secured to said members and adapted to disclose the series ofgrooves or indentations; substantially as set forth.

7. A pencil or the like consist-ing of a central marking or otherdevice, a series of individual, nested conical members, a series ofcircumferential grooves or indentations, and a Wrapper or coveringhaving a series of `oblique or diagonal perforations; substantiallyvasset forth.

S. A pencil or the like consisting of a basepiece to which one end ofthe lead or other de- Vice is secured, a series of individual, conicalmembers supported upon said base-piece and within one another, andsurrounding said lead, Lize., a cap`piece embracing the point of thelead, and seated upon the foremost conical member, a series ofcircumferential grooves or indentations, and a slotted or perforatedwrapper pasted or gummed to said cap and basepiece, and to said seriesof individual conical members; substantially as set forth.

9. In a pencil or the like, a seriesof individual, nested conicalmembers having a practically-continuous cylindrical bore throughout theseries and supporting therein the continuous lead or other material, andhav-ing a practically-continuous cylindrical exterior, with a series ofnarrow intervening circumferential grooves or indentations, andawrapping-strip pasted or gummed around and to saidpractically-continuous cylindrical exterior andV bridging over the saidseries of grooves or indentations, and thereby Vleaving a series ofcircular spaces beneath said strip to enable it to be readily severed;substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 18th day of November, A. D. 1895.

HERBERT H. VSEABLflhT.

Vitnesses:

CoRNELiUs P. MCLAUGHLIN, K. V. DONOVAN.

